Milinkovich honored by MN Basketball Coaches Assn.

Former Montgomery- Lonsdale boys basketball coach Dick Milinkovich, a New Prague resident, was honored last week with inclusion in the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

The Hall of Honor has been established to honor those persons who have helped to improve/promote/ and or serve basketball in Minnesota. Honorees have been longtime supporters of their local teams or have given outstanding service to the game of basketball. Awards are given in four categories: Officials, Media, Coach - Head/Assistant, and Friend of Basketball. To be eligible for the Hall of Honor, a person must have been involved with basketball for at least 20 years. That person must be nominated by a MBCA member, the MBCA Executive Board, or the MBCA Hall of Fame committee.

Milinkovich, a New Prague High School graduate, started his career teaching and assisting in football in New Prague in 1971. His first head basketball coaching position was at Milroy. He moved to Arlington- Green Isle as head basketball coach, where he served until it became Sibley East, and was named Region 4 coach of the year in 1984, when his team finished as region runner- up. He later was an assistant at Sibley East until taking the head basketball job at Montgomery-Lonsdale. He later served as an assistant at Belle Plaine, where he was part of two state tournament squads, and has since served as a volunteer coach at Sibley East and Tri-City United. He also served as District 14 representative to the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association.